


Spry for an old man

by digitalFlush



Series: Bat Family [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-07-12 03:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7083265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitalFlush/pseuds/digitalFlush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything is going fine for Terry. A normal patrol, a normal fight- that is until a certain fanatic shows up to complain about "the wrong Batman". Maybe he can show this newbie how the REAL Batman would do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wrong Bat

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by this amazing picture!
> 
> http://everking.tumblr.com/post/63070700823/say-youre-looking-pretty-spry-for-an-old

"Give it up Dee Dee. You've already lost this fight." Batman loomed over the struggling girls- there were two now and she was getting ready to make four more. "Try it, Dee Dee. You'll only cause those metal ropes to cut into your skin." He warned her.

Dee Dee spat at him. "Stupid Batboy, ruining our shopping day."

"Yes, Dee Dee. He really is the opposite of a gentleman." The girls glared at their captor, who frowned silently before slinging the girls over his shoulders.

"Ouch!" they yelped. "You idiot! You're going to break something!"

A familiar, old voice gruffly spoke in Batman's headset. "Well done, Terry. Drop them off and swing back by the Batcave. I need to adjust some of the suit's computers. There're some weird readings coming from it."

"You got it." He muttered, swooping a few blocks down to the police station to drop off the criminals he'd wrapped up. Dee Dee ended up dangling right in front of Commissioner Barbra's window.

Terry was enjoying this night. A nice, easy patrol and catching Dee Dee off guard. The cool night air blew through the suit mask and enticed a longer route back to Wayne Manor. The city lights glinted up at him, promising a quiet night for once.

"Wowza, this city really has gone to shit, hasn't it Batman." A pinched, boyish voice suddenly chimed in next to Batman.

"GAH!" Terry lost balance in his gliding momentarily before glaring down the intruder who was happily backstroking through the breeze. "Who the hell are-"

The comms unit in his suit shut him up quickly. "Terry get out of there. That is no man and he is an incredibly dangerous being known as Bat-Mite."

"Bat-Mite?" Terry frowned. "What the slag is a Bat-Mite?"

The little man, who was now literally flying circles around the Batman, laughed. "Your biggest fan! Or are you forgetting in your old age?"

Terry glided away at the first given opportunity. "Alright, explain." He demanded into his comms unit.

Bruce rubbed his temples back at the cave. "No time. Just get back here. Now."

Terry didn't like this whole Bruce not telling thing, but he was learning to do a little detective work of his own on the mysterious billionaire. He'd dig it up later.

"You're not him!"

Terry nearly fell out of the sky avoiding the tiny man that appeared in front of him. "Get out of the way, Bat-Mite." It was worth a shot. Maybe he'd listen to his idol.

"No! You're not Batman, you poser! What, do you think I'm one of those idiots down there?" Bat-Mite pointed to the city with a gloved hand. "I know it's not the REAL Batman in there! You're just some newbie-wannabe-poser!" There was something in his tone that Terry had heard before. The same tone of voice used right before you got sucker-punched.

Terry swung first, his fist striking nothing but thin air which caused him to spin around mid-air. There was Bat-Mite laughing, rolling over as though some floor supported his backside.

"Oh, oh! You should have seen the look on your face!" He laughed more. Another swing and a miss from Terry and again, Bat-Mite had somehow ended up right behind Terry.

"Tsk Tsk! That's no way to treat a fan! The REAL Batman would have been nice to me." There was a wicked glint in Bat-Mites eyes that caused Terry to second-guess his recent decisions. "Maybe I should introduce you to the Real Batman. Teach you a lesson." He clapped his hands around Terry's and laughed as a blinding light surrounded them.

Terry shut his eyes and prayed he would get to see his girlfriend and family again.


	2. Like a Delorian

The annoying cackling echoed in Terry's ears and he finally opened his eyes. He was alone in a dark cave, sitting in a cold pool of water. Voices entered the room, causing Terry to duck behind the thickest Stalagmite he could find.

"Sir, you're certain it wasn't just a glitch in the alarm system?" Came the voice of an older man across the cave.

"Positive, Alfred. I just reset the whole program last night." A younger man with a familiar voice

Terry peered around to see the two entries from a staircase, the elderly man dressed as a Butler closely followed the younger one. Just as Terry feared, there was no mistaking his mentor Bruce Wayne anywhere.

"No. No that's not possible..." He muttered in shock. Bruce was checking surveillance on his wall of computers.

"Bruce?" Terry tried whispering into his earpiece. Static. As quietly as possible, he began scanning the cave for an easy exit point. The one he'd trained in had been a little more expanded but the layout was still the same. The same costumes in display cases lining the wall furthest from the stairs so Bruce could always be reminded.

Terry sighed. Some people never change.

Bruce and Alfred found nothing on their scans of the cave, much to Terry's relief. As they left Terry snuck to the emergency exit door. The alarms were sure to be triggered the second he opened this, but there was no going back now. It was this or face Bruce directly in the mansion.

with a deep breath and a shove, Terry ran out the door, opened up his wings, and rocketed out of the cave. He saw Bruce's figure staring at him from the doorway and could feel the seething rage even from the mile's distance he's put between them.

When was he exactly? Terry didn't exactly have a change of clothes lying around to get out of this suit, and his money definitely had the wrong year on it. He figured Old Gotham would have the answers he needed as well as the cover. With a quick scan and swoop, Terry found someone roughly his height and build lurking on a rooftop. "Probably waiting to mug some poor guy," Terry grumbled, turning off his jets and swooping into the shadows of the rooftop. Terry stood out of sight, leaning for a view from the roof access door. As soon as the mugger had his back turned, Terry slid into his legs. The man's head hit the concrete with a sickening sound. A quick pulse check ensured the man was merely unconscious, breath naturally flowing.

"Schway, some normal clothes." Terry bent over to pick up the man and drag him to the shadows.

"Nice suit you got," came an unfamiliar voice from behind. Before Terry had time to react he was being held by two incredibly strong, brown leather-clad arms. "Nice suit, but you aren't him." The voice sneered in his ear, tinny sounding through a red helmet.

"Let me go!" Terry did his best Batman Voice as he attempted to fling the attacker over to his front to better face him.

With amazing ease, Terry's attacker followed the flip and landed gracefully in front of him. "You-!" Terry couldn't hide his surprise as he stared down The Red Hood, legendary crime lord of history books and Bruce's son Jason Todd.

"Yep! Me! But you, you're looking a little skinny Bruce. Did you lose a couple muscles, Bruce? Or maybe it's someone else under that new mask," Jason dashed forward, again grabbing Terry in a way he couldn't easily escape. "Tsk Tsk! It is someone new! What, Ol' Brucey taking another 'death' vacation? I know it's not Dick under there, I just saw him on the news for Blüdhaven. Who are you, twerp?"

Terry didn't like this. This guy was bad news and he didn't want to rip up the timeline. "Let. Go. Now." Terry growled, kicking on his rockets and shooting the two upwards and nearly causing Jason to lose his grip.

"Holy shit! That's new." Jason muttered, hanging on tighter. "Listen, kid," there was a gun to Terry's temple now, "I just want to know what you're doing beating up my contacts. Now take us down." He ordered. Terry complied, gently lowering them to the rooftop, hands raised above his head. He didn't want to hurt Jason, otherwise, he would have rocketed off suddenly with a quick blow to his extra passenger's stomach.

Jason let go and backed up a single step. "Good! Now take off the mask." The order came from a well-aimed gun barrel.

With a slow motion, Terry's hood came off to reveal a very young man who looked incredibly similar to Bruce Wayne. "Who the hell-"

"My name is Terry McGinnis. I was mentored by Bruce Wayne and have taken up his mantle of Batman in the Future. And you, Jason Todd, are going to help me get back." Confidence seemed the way to go. Assert yourself and- BAM! The hilt of the pistol that had been so steadily trained on him moments ago collided with his head, blacking out Terry.


	3. The Answers

A bright light hung directly over Terry, who was tied tightly to a bolted-down chair in a dark warehouse. He was stirring from his unconscious state, a large knot on the spot he'd been hit.

With a small groan, Terry opened his bleary eyes. He couldn't see much right away, but he managed to make out his chair situation quickly. "Shit." He mumbled, tugging at the chains around his arms and legs as best he could.

"I wouldn't do that if I were your."

Jason stepped into the pool of light, helmet still securely on his scalp. "Move around too much and I'll have to punch you again, only I won't miss that pretty face this time. Now start talking," He demanded, pulling a chair to the edge of the pool of light and sitting expectantly.

Terry couldn't see much in the warehouse beyond his little light as his mask was still off. He couldn't make out any exits or how to really get out of these chains without making an enemy he really didn't need.

"I already told you. I'm Terry-"

"McGinnis. Yeah yeah yeah. Listen, hotshot, I've seen some shit. What I wanna know is how you got shoved back to a time you don't belong?"

"Look, I don't know exactly how. All I know is that I was gliding along when some dreg called Bat-Mite grabbed me and landed me in the Batcave. That's it. Now PLEASE," he tugged at his wrists and ankles, rattling the chains, "Unchain me!"

 

"And why should I do that?" Jason began pacing carefully, "I mean, you seem to not want Ol' bats to see you, otherwise you would have stayed in the cave and asked his help. He's the one with all the toys."

Terry sighed. "Yeah well, I'm not exactly asking for help."

"Could have fooled me. A new timezone would be enough to trip anybody up. If you asked me it would appear that you're stuck, in more ways than one." he was making his way towards Terry. "So, I'm just trying to figure out how you know me and exactly what happened to get you here. If you're telling the truth, then you should have just stayed with Bats." Jason's helmet was uncomfortably close to Terry's face, to the point that Terry had to turn and face the darkness outside of the light pool.

"I know you because I'm training under the Bruce. Would you back up a little?" Jason complied but remained close. "He's given a lot of history lessons so I don't make the same mistakes. One of them involved a certain Robin suit."

Jason laughed, "Even as an old man he still kept that thing? Tch. Too bad he didn't care that much when it mattered." he resumed his pacing. "And the Time Travel? How do you explain that?"

Terry shrugged. "Some guy called Bat-Mite. Apparently, a supernatural, super-powered Batman fanatic who wanted me to learn how the 'Real Batman' would handle things."

"Well, he's right. You're not."

"Excuse me?" Terry glared down the leather-clad back.

"You're not Bruce. More like a little wannabe." He smirked under the helmet. "You know, you remind me a lot of the old man. Stubborn, same glare, hell! If he didn't adopt so goddamn many blue-eyed assholes I'd say you were his kid!" He laughed a little at that before continuing the interrogation, "So what the hell is a Bat-Mite?"

"All I got out of Bruce was that he was some kind of super-fan."

"Yeah, supernatural. Alright, say I do believe you and I might let you out of those chains. What happens then? You knock me out and run home to Bats? It's not like he hasn't dealt with time travel before." Jason was back near his chair at this point.

"I don't want to mess up the time stream." Terry sat forward, "I'm not willing to risk it all just for my heading back to my time."

"Well too damn bad, kid! You're here now so something is already messed up. I can't help you so why not go straight to the source? I mean, he may be dealing with shit but when is he not?" Jason shrugged.

 There came an annoying, nasally laugh from the beams far above them. Terry groaned in annoyance while Jason drew his guns. "Who's there!" Jason called into the dark.

Bat-Mite came speeding down from the ceiling. "Enjoying your trip, Bat-baby?" He taunted. Terry pulled at his shackles one more time, this time as a threat. "Send me back!" he demanded.

Jason fired a warning shot into the ceiling. "Explanations. Now!" Bat-Mite teleported directly in front of Jason.

"Guns are for babies. Batman is too good for them!" he said, clapping his hands. The guns grew goopy in Jason's hands, melting and dripping out of his grip.

"Eugh! What the hell!" he threw the gloopy mess onto the concrete below. "This is Bat-Mite?!"

Terry was glaring down the figure. "Yep."

Bat-Mite did a little bow. "The pleasure is yours! Soooo disappointed you didn't stick around and go one on one with Batman." He hung mid-air, upside-down. "So I let an old friend of yours into Gotham!" He giggled.

Jason had made his way over to Terry, meaning to take off the chains. Terry was fuming, "What?! Who else did you bring back? Do you realize how much damage that could do to the time stream?!"

Bat-Mite poofed right in Terry's face. "Of course! But Batman can stop it, no problem! Have fun!" And with that, he was gone. Jason unchained Terry. "What a pain in the ass. he ruined my favorite guns!" 

"Yeah, but I'm the one who has to prove myself to him..."Terry pulled on his mask once more and looked to Jason. "I guess I don't have a choice. I have to go see Bruce."

"Wait," Jason ordered before Terry could launch into flight, "Take this." It was a bulky, primitive earpiece. "I'll check around for whatever the hell that idiot let into the city and let you know."

Terry nodded, taking the mask off only to put in the device. "Retro, Thanks," He said before blasting off into the night.


	4. Penthouse Pearls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sneaking around the cave.

Terry stood outside the perimeter of Wayne Manor, just out of sight of the security. How was he going to explain this? Waltz up to the door and say 'Hi Alfred, I'm Bruce's future replacement and I need help'? Yeah. That would fly over well.

Terry had a bulge where his ear was, the ear piece that Jason had given him having been safely tucked beneath his cowl. It had been an hour and no news from Red yet. He dove from tree branch to tree branch, till he reached one of the mountain side entrances to the Batcave. Using a plugin to tie his suit to the cave entrance panel, he began using his far superior technology to hack the Wayne Tech based systems. It took all of 2 minutes for the suit to adjust to the older tech and 5 seconds to actually hack the door and security measures. 

Once inside, he explored the smaller Batcave, finally landing on the banks of servers and computer monitors. "Bingo," Terry smirked before sliding stealthily next to the servers and plugging in. "Scan for time travel." He spoke to his in-suit computer, which immediately got to work. It was a little slower than he was used to processing wise, but it still got the job done. Behind him, the elevator swooshed open. Terry immediately turned on the cloaking within his suit thinking that this was no time to get caught, not when he was so close to finding a way lead back home.

Alfred had stepped out of the elevator and to the computers. "Sir, how goes the nightly brooding?" Terry smirked at the old man's tongue-and-cheek.

"Fine, Alfred. Anything showing up on the computers?" It was definitely Bruce's voice, just a hell of a lot younger.

"Actually, that's why I called. It seems there is some rather unusual activity at the Gotham Gazette. It would appear that Vicky Vale has gone for a walk on the rooftop with several of her coworkers' valuables." Alfred was pulling up information as he spoke, digging through news articles, more being found by the minute.

Terry's suit was growing hotter and hotter with each passing moment, but he was in plain view of Alfred if he were to turn off his camouflage. The suit's computer raced through results, pulling up few that had anything about time travel. Finally, all results collected, Terry discreetly unplugged and darted to the shadows where he could safely cool down and hide.

Alfred spent a bit more time compiling information, unaware of the intruder until Terry's new earpiece sounded with Jason's voice. "Heya bat-boy, know anyone who would cause a totally believable hallucination or dream state?" The security was tripped by this incoming radio wave, causing alarms throughout the cave.

"Slag! Todd, you gave me away!" He hid behind a stalagmite as Alfred began initiating security measures. "Master Bruce, there has been another break-in at the cave!" His gun was in his hands, searching the room for the mysterious alarm tripped.

"Only use codenames on the comms! Or did Bats forget to tell you that in his old age?!" Jason hissed on his end. Terry didn't have time to argue, he had to get hidden or get out, fast.


	5. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terry meets another one of the Robins as well as the very man who trained him.

Jason encrypted their line again. "Shit, the old man updated his systems. Give me a minute." He was re-encrypting the line as quickly as he could, not at the same level as Tim ever could but still quick enough. The signal was under the radar again and just in time, right before the bat computers could pinpoint Terry and lock on to his systems.

Bruce glared at his computer, not trusting that the frequency just dropping off his scanners and got up to investigate further, shifting into the shadows of the cave he called home.

Terry was caught off guard by a heavy boot to the side of his head. He stumbled to the side as he spied a small, hooded figure in a fighting stance.

"Oh, so now you're just going to fight me, huh? Where was this 5 hours ago?!" Terry was ready to fight this child-like being, even though Bruce had warned him against engaging with Bat-mite. But, maybe this kid was a little taller? And he was in a decent Robin costume too, though it was difficult to tell in the dark.

Damian charged for Terry, running up the cave wall to try and jump on Terry's back and pull his cowl off and possibly his jaw with it. Terry used a deflection duck-and-push that Bruce had taught him nearly the first week of training, which Damian reacted to and bounced off easily. He glared at the tall man in the bat suit and pointed an accusatory finger. "Who are you, and why are you wearing a knock off of Father's suit," he demanded. Terry's eyes widened as he realized the small person in front of him wasn't bat-mite at all, or even a replica Robin, but the famous (Or infamous, depending on who told the story) Damian Wayne. He needed out of this cave, now or he might actually face death.  
  
"Oh slag it! Out of my way, Twip! I need to get out of here before-" He felt the shadow loom behind him, intimidating and terrifying, a black-clad warrior who was somehow even scarier _because_ he didn't kill. The Original Batman. Before Terry could even open his mouth, he was knocked to the side by an even heavier, controlled boot. The last thing he saw before going unconcious was Bruce's younger persona leaning over him.  
\------------------------------------------------------

Terry was unaware how much time had passed, and at first was totally confused on his location and why his cowl was off. When he woke up a little more he had a splitting headache, and probably at least a mild concussion from all the boots to his head. He rubbed his temples and looked around, taking in his surroundings. This was a small cage he remembered Bruce telling him of, how he'd hoped to never have to use it, due to the cage being meant for intruders specifically.

Terry groaned as the memories came flooding back, each painful detail and, the most annoying of all, Bat-Mite. The root of all of his problems. "Could today get any worse?" He asked the air.

"You tell me," The gruff, all-business voice said before stepping from the shadows. Terry couldn't help but smirk a little upon seeing his mentor like this, dark and intimidating, was like seeing all those stories he'd been told come to life. "Could this day get any worse for you? You come into my home without an identity in any system, in a costume design I haven't even completed. So either you hacked me or you're from a different timeline."

Slag, he was good. "Guess there's a reason they call you the world's greatest detective, huh?" Bruce's glare quickly pulled Terry off the humorous deflection path and straight to the facts.

"My name is Terry McGinnis, and I'm from your distant future."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, these take so long! I want to make sure I get the characters really right before I post. Please comment if you had any thoughts about the piece!


End file.
